


Morpheus

by queen_egotist



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crack, Fanvids, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, High School, M/M, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-30
Updated: 2014-11-08
Packaged: 2018-02-23 06:04:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2536904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_egotist/pseuds/queen_egotist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was a boy. I had forgotten his name and face. All I did remember was that he was important to me. I only remembered him in my dreams whenever I felt so empty and those memories helped me get by. He was humble and selfless. He reminded me of all the good things in the world. Because of him, I became stronger. I want to protect him. I was so caught up in myself that I had forgotten the one I cared for the most.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Green Eyes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aniprincess_13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aniprincess_13/gifts).



> First, I'm back, fluffier than ever, [lol♥]  
> Second, this is based on a [fanvid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAhNIaG12e0) posted in tumblr by [Gou-san](http://gou-and-ask.tumblr.com).

_“Neh, Sousuke, let’s join the swimming club!” announced the brunette, climbing the slide as he looked at the teal-eyed boy._

_“It's bothersome. I’m too lazy for a club, so just join by yourself if you want it so badly,” replied the other boy, sliding down._

_The brunette reached the top, his face showing obvious disappointment, “But, it wouldn’t be fun without you, Sousuke.”_

_The teal-eyed boy just sighed._

* * *

 

‘TUUUUG’

A falling sound echoed in the entire room. Muffled, sleepy curses came straight from a teal-eyed man with dark hair. He massaged his forehead as he fell face flat on the floor. Squinting, he looked around and realized that he was just dreaming, “That boy again.”

As long as he can remember, he was dreaming of a certain boy since he came in this foreign land. He cannot remember his name, He wasn’t even sure if he knew this boy. But, he was dreaming about him repeatedly whenever he was lonely. The only thing that he can remember about this boy was that he owned such sparkly field green eyes and every time he saw those eyes, he felt really happy.

Sousuke lazily stood up and went straight to his bathroom, bumping into the door frame and cursing it. He took off his clothes, revealing a chiseled body that can only be owned by an athlete. Surely, he was one. Years ago, he pursued his dream of becoming an Olympic swimmer, thus he went and trained here in Sydney. He studied his middle school here and met his good hot-headed, emo redhead friend named Matsuoka Rin.

Rin wasn’t in the country anymore though, he went back in Japan a year before because his mother requested him to finish his high school there before aspiring completely as a professional swimmer. Rin obliged, so he came back there and attended a powerhouse swimming school, Samezuka Academy.

This will be the same academy that he will be attending this coming spring. His father called him last night saying that their mother just left without notice and hasn’t come back for over a month now. Sousuke groaned in annoyance as he remembered their conversation. His father forced him to come home or he will not support his overseas training after high school. So, he had no choice in the matter and just agreed with his father’s deal.

After showering, he wrapped a towel around his waist and strolled towards the living room, slumping on the couch and turning on the TV to watch something. Five minutes after, he went back to his room to put some clothes on. He noticed his phone on his side desk was blinking. Picking it up, he unlocked it and opened his mail. His father already bought him a ticket and he’ll be heading out in three days, “Guess, I’ll be there earlier. Damn it! I thought I’ll be heading out in two weeks.”

He threw his phone on the bed and started packing the essentials. He wouldn’t need everything in this apartment since his bought it for me years ago. He would definitely be back here after one year. His stay in Japan would just be a fleeting moment. Good thing was that he will be attending with Rin and will not be alienated on his first day.

* * *

 

“So where are you now, dude?”

“In front of the information receptionist,” replied Sousuke, looking around for a familiar face.

“Huh? You said a while ago that you were right next to a coffee shop?”

“I moved, it was annoying that there were two guys who were checking me out like I was a piece of meat.”

“You are meaty, Sousuke.” He can hear Rin snickering.

“So are you, Rin! Where the hell are you anyway?”

“Here,” Sousuke felt a smack on his head, turning to face the criminal who did it. Rin grinned and both did their signature greeting as if they were ready to rumble and sack each other’s faces. “Are you sure that you’ll go straight to the academy?”

“I don’t want to spend my entire week listening to my father’s preaching,” replied the teal-eyed, walking through the exit.

“Fine with me,” uttered the redhead, “We have the same room, so make yourself comfortable. Since I’m the current captain, I’ll be taking the bottom bunk.”

“No way in hell! Let’s settle it with a throwdown,” Sousuke suggested, prepping for his winning move.

* * *

 

Sousuke just watched the transitioning sceneries while waiting for three more bus stops. He groaned at the thought that he lost the throwdown and he will be staying in the top bunk. “Such a pain,” he thought. He always got what he wanted. One can say that he was spoiled rotten, but Rin thought he just worked so hard. He convinced his father to let him train overseas by winning countless tournaments in the butterfly category when he was in elementary. Plus, his mother wouldn’t want him in a dorm, so she asked his father to buy him his own flat. It looked like everything was served to him on a silver platter, but in reality, it was by countless training and proving to his father that he deserved such life. Of course, everything will cease once he becomes independent, but as of now, he was still under the string of his father.

The bus finally stopped by their school and Rin tapped his shoulder. Both walked towards the dorms and everyone who seemed to be in the swim team greeted their captain, he faintly smiled back at them. On the other side, the people who looked at Sousuke, seemed to have peed in their pants as he looked at them with a scowled face.

“Stop scaring them, Bakasuke!” Rin yelled at him as soon as the door closed behind him, earning a chop on his head.

Sousuke rolled his eyes and dropped his baggage on the corner, “It’s a Saturday, can we hang around the city or something?”

“We could, but I promised Gou that I’ll be taking her out for dinner. You can hang around with us, if you want,” answered Rin, flopping on the lower bunk.

The taller man climbed the top bunk, “Nah, I won’t bother with sibling bonding. I’ll just roam around town after my nap.” He was jealous of Rin. He wanted to have a younger sibling too, but he was just an only child and since his mother left his father, no little sister will be happening any time soon. Closing his eyes, he drifted to sleep, deeper than he expected.

* * *

 

_“That was great Sousuke! Your strokes were really powerful,” compliment the brunette as he reaches his hand to Sousuke, smiling like the bright sunshine outside._

_His face felt a little warm whenever he heard his compliments. He felt normal while he was swimming and didn’t think that there was something special with him. However, the green-eyed boy seemed to notice everything about him._

* * *

 

“Am I too upset to be here?” Sousuke questioned, as he opened his eyes and yawned. “I only dream of him when I’m lonely.” He can’t think of any good reason to dream about a boy, especially someone he couldn’t remember.

“Sousuke, I’m leaving. See you later. Don’t forget to lock the room when you leave,” reminded Rin, clad in dark blue jeans, a black top with a jacket and a blue cap.

“What are you, my mom?” retorted Sousuke.

Rin just shook his head and left.

The teal-eyed man jumped from the top bunk. He changed to a simple denim and navy blue shirt. Since it was still cold outside, he grabbed a blue hooded jacket and headed out of the room, locking the door after as he remembered what Rin said. He didn’t want Rin to bitch out later.

He went around for a couple of hours, looking at different sport shops and some music stores. He felt tired, not from walking, but from the flight. So, he decided to go to the nearest café around the corner. As he entered, he was blown away by the number of people. All seats were taken and the next café would be around the next block and Sousuke was too tired and lazy. He’ll just have to share a sit with a stranger if needed.

He ordered for an Americano with three shots of espresso. He searched for a table that looked empty, if possible, but none can be found. So, he just chose the farthest table beside the table. He approached it and asked for the brunette with glasses who was engrossed in reading a book, “Mind if I take a seat here? It was packed today.”

The stranger with glasses glanced up at him and smiled, “I don’t mind. Go ahead.”

Sousuke’s was taken aback. That smile was surely deadly. He sat on the seat adjacent to the guy and looked outside the window. However, Sousuke can’t stop peeking at his unknown companion. Furthermore, he reminded him of a certain boy that was dreaming about until a few hours ago. Sipping his coffee, he scrutinized his features and noticed his lovely green eyes. They were obvious even though he was wearing glasses.

Sousuke couldn’t hold back his curiosity, “By the way, thanks for giving me this seat. I’m Yamazaki Sousuke and you are?” offering his hand.

The brunette accepted the offer, shaking it, “Makoto. Tachibana Makoto. Nice to meet you, Yamazaki-kun.”

Upon hearing his name, Sousuke thought he knew that name well.


	2. Dark Waters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is unbeta'ed.  
> Remember season 1 when we all thought that Free! wasn't supposed to be stressful...  
> *grins*

_“Do you really have to leave?” asked the brunette, disappointment obvious on his pale-face. “Can’t you just stay for another year and leave before we start middle school?”_

_“Sorry, I can’t. My coach overseas wanted to train me as soon as possible,” replied the kid with dark hair, pinching the cheeks of the brunette. “I know we promised we’ll go to shrine together at New Year. I’m looking forward to it too, so please stop making that face.”_

_The brunette continued to pout, looking down at the snow-covered pavement._

_“I’ll write to you whenever I can. So please smile,” begged the teal-eyed boy._

_“Promise, Sousuke?” quizzed the brunette, green eyes sparkling._

_“I promise,” replied Sousuke._

* * *

  
Sousuke’s eyes slowly opened, vision blurring from sleep. “M-Mako…to…” he whispered slowly. Staring at the wall clock on his right, he rolled to his side to sleep some more. He was not really in the mood for morning practice. He had to get ready within the next hour or else Rin would definitely bitch out since he ditched practice two days ago. He missed the little boy with soft olive hair already and he wanted to confirm if the person he met months ago was the same. Unfortunately, he always forgets to ask.

“Drag your lazy ass out of this or you’re not going with us in the afternoon,” yelled the redhead who just entered the room.

“Pfft… fine…fine,” replied Sousuke, slowly sitting up and climbing down to gear up for his training.

* * *

  
It had been four months since his first meeting with Tachibana at the café. Whenever he had an off from practice and Rin had a date with his sister, he goes to the café hoping to see the stranger. Fortunately, there wasn’t a time where he didn’t meet him. He always sits at the furthest table near the window and reads his book. Even without the swarming customers in the café, he chose to sit with him. They had casual conversations about anything from food, fitness and even pets. Sousuke liked dogs especially the big scary ones while Makoto liked cute and cuddly white cats. Surprisingly, Makoto was an athlete like him, a swimmer nonetheless. Sousuke somehow figured it out when he met him once and the other was just wearing a black V-neck shirt and tight denim pants. Those clothes hugged his muscular figure well and it distracted Sousuke. It was so distracting that the teal-eyed questioned his orientation for once. After a good night’s sleep, he concluded that he was still straight and liked girls.

However, his conclusion was clouded once again Rin asked him to tag along during the Splash Fest event held at the newly-built swimming club at Iwatobi. The said stranger was also Rin’s friend’s during his last year of elementary. He would’ve met Rin back then if he hadn’t left during the winter season of his fifth grade. He was somewhat surprised that Rin and Makoto were acquainted and was even closer than anything. He never mentioned their meeting to Rin as he wanted it to be his little secret. Looking at the whole gang of Iwatobi High, the school where Makoto goes, Sousuke felt that there was a line drawn between him and Makoto and he wasn’t allowed to cross it. He just watched him at a distance, never talking to him in front of the others.

It’s because he wanted Makoto for himself. He tried to be busy every time they had joint practices and restrained his urges to greet him. He reserved all of the things he wanted to say every weekend at the café. At first, Makoto wondered if he did anything that Sousuke didn’t like, but Sousuke said his piece. The brunette just giggled at his reason, commenting that he sounded like a possessive boyfriend. Hearing such comment from him made the teal-eyed blush and scoff at the thought. Makoto was just being polite to him. This man wasn’t gay and he was just being friendly. Plus, Sousuke was definitely straight.

Right after the nationals where both relay teams were in the top ten overall and some members managed to snatch a great ranking individually, they decided to spend their summer holidays in a beach just hours away from Iwatobi.

That decision brings Sousuke in front of a train station with the rest of his relay team and their previous captain waiting for the Iwatobi team to arrive. Rin was pacing back and forth complaining that the others were late. His best friend was very punctual and was indeed strict on time either with himself or his friends. After a few grueling minutes with Rin grunting annoyingly, the foursome with Rin’s sister finally arrived. Sousuke’s darted to Makoto and the other smiles, sending auras of floral power back at him.

“Let me guess, you grilled mackerel again!” asked Rin, yelling right at Haru’s face.

“I haven’t eaten lunch yet, so what you’re deal, Rin?” retaliated the other, his smug expression made Rin pop a vein.

But before the redhead could bitch out any further, an angel with soft brown locks mediated and everything went peaceful. The sight was almost amusing and Sousuke almost snickered. Rin sen him a slicing glare and the teal-eyed just raised his brows, “What now?”

The group traveled via train for almost three hours and most of them were asleep including Makoto whose head rested peacefully on Haru’s shoulder. Sousuke wanted to have that seat at the moment since he was taller, Makoto would be more comfortable napping on his shoulder.

Rin grinned when he noticed the way Sousuke looked at his gentle-natured friend. “This is going to be interesting,” he chuckled at the thought.

Once they were on the beach, they did the usual, grilled some barbeque, played silly beach games, much to Sousuke’s annoyance, and some other minor things. When it was time to decide who’s going to sleep with the other, Nagisa frantically suggested to draw sticks and those who had the same color will be on the same tent. Gou will be an exception because Rin was wary about the Mikoshiba brothers and volunteered to pair up with his little sister.

“Rin-chan, I never knew you had a little sister complex,” commented Nagisa.

“Shut up, Nagisa. Gou’s the only girl here, like I would trust any of you to sleep with her,” retorted the redhead.

“Gou-kun will be in good hands if she sleeps with me, Matsuoka,” assured the older Mikoshiba.

“On the condition that you will sleep half naked, Miko-”

“Gou!” bawled the Rin, almost having a headache.

“Okay, chill down everyone,” intervened Makoto. “Let’s have the siblings together and we’ll decide with these now,” he suggested, flashing everyone his bright smile.

All of Iwatobi followed, even Haru agreed without contest.

They drew the sticks and Sousuke, praising the goddess of luck, ended with Makoto. Nagisa ran and wrapped his arms around Makoto’s neck and whined, “I want to sleep with Mako-chan!”

Sousuke’s frown was too evident that Nagisa caught and rested his face on the brunette’s shoulder while grinning back at him. “Off with your hands, damn brat!” he instantly thought.

After setting up their tents before sundown, some went swimming. Sousuke noticed that the olive-haired was just standing at the shore while watching Nagisa and Rei splashing water at each other. He looked solemn, hair being swayed gently by the breeze. The brunette glanced at him and threw on a tender expression back at him. Sousuke’s cheeks felt warm and he crawled inside the tent.

After dinner, Haru and Rin went to the nearest store to buy some snacks as the remaining people will set up some campfire. On the far side of the beach, there were kids playing near the cliff and Makoto seemed anxious about their safety and approached them hastily. As they played, one kid slipped off. The brunette caught his hand on time and pulled him back. They thanked him, waving cheery goodbyes. He was about to leave, but the surface he was standing on collapsed. The next thing he knew was the vast darkness enveloping him. His body froze, panicking at a point. The waves crashed on him harshly. A minute ago, it was not like this. He kicked the water, but at some point he can’t go any higher. He slowly descended in the water, feeling the strong waves hit him, air depleting as seconds gone by. His consciousness was blurring to nothingness.

“Help!” he tried to shout, but nothing came out.

“Makoto!” Sousuke shouted as he jumped off the cliff and reached for the brunette’s hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you.♥

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!♥  
> I really love writing about them. XD
> 
> I have lost my inspiration in writing this plot. Marked as completed.


End file.
